Social Structure, Crime and Criminalization - Am Empirical Examination of the Conflict Perspective

• NCJ Number: 75262
• Journal: Sociological Quarterly Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Dated: (Autumn 1980) Pages: 563-575
• Author(s): K R Williams; S Drake
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study suggests the validity of conflict theory, which states that the official criminalization of people through arrest is a function of the structure of dominant/subordinate relations within populations rather than of the incidence of crime.

Abstract

Both official and unofficial statistics on crime were used to examine the relationship between three structural variables: economic inequality; the relative size of historically subordinate groups (blacks and unemployed) and criminalization, or the labeling of people as criminal. The official data included arrest and crime rates found in the Uniform Crime Reports and from the FBI. The only available unofficial statistics on crime were the victimization data for 1971-1974 in 26 cities for the LEAA by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. The units of analysis were Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSA's) of 500,000 population or more. The findings were consistent with the assumption, drawn from conflict criminology, that the frequency of intensity of legal-coercive control increases as the degree of stratification within populations increases. Multivariate analysis revealed that the crime rate was the only variable significantly associated with the arrest rate when official data were used. However, when the victimization rate was used, no such evidence was found. Moreover, the relationships between economic inequality and the arrest rate for aggravated assault as well as those between the percentage of blacks and the rate of arrests for forcible rape and robbery held when the victimization rate was controlled. The difference between the two sets of findings could be viewed as a function of the same structural variables that produced the arrest rate, since economic inequality, percent black, and percent unemployed tended to be more significantly correlated with the official crime rate than the victimization rate. However, the findings could not be considered conclusive since the assumption that the victimization rate was a more valid measure of the incidence of crime was not empirically verified. In addition, the study was limited in terms of types of crimes, units of analysis, and availability of data for more refined measurement of relevant variables. Tables and a list of 22 references are provided.